Saturday, 28 February 2015

Sisters Ella and Olivia are going to stay at
their grandparents’ beach house. Ella is excited; she is seven years old and is
looking forward to the holiday. Olivia is not quite as sure. She is
five-and-a-half and has only ever stayed away from home for one night
before. But she loves her grandmother
and grandfather and she will have Ella and baby brother Max with her. So she
bravely waves goodbye to Mum and Dad and Bob, the puppy, and they leave for
their adventure in grandparents’ kombi.

Ella and Olivia is a lovely series for 5-7 year olds. Beach Holiday is a delightful story about adventures on the beach.
There are good messages for young girls throughout and Olivia's nervousness
about being away from home is acknowledged, but not made into a big deal.

The relationship between the sisters and the
rest of the family is lovely. When Ella takes her sister’s hand in the ocean, 'Olivia forgets how cold she is and how much
she already misses Mum and Dad.'

Ella and Olivia books are gentle stories about everyday life. There’s plenty for
young girls to relate to, and the book contains just enough adventure to keep
readers involved. The line drawings which illustrate every page make this an
attractive book and add to the appeal for beginner readers.

Friday, 27 February 2015

In the fifth book in the Brumbies series, Paula Boer brings
her gripping story of teenagers Ben Naylor and Louise Hardy and their love of
horses, their adventures and challenges to its conclusion. Once again the
brumbies are in danger - this time from aerial culling by shooting them on the
run.

The story opens with Shadow giving birth to a filly sired by Ben's
brumby stallion, Brandy, caught two years ago when the friends were determined
to save at least some brumbies from being caught and turned into pet food. Ben
has dreams for the future, one of them is building his own stud, and with the
arrival of the little palomino filly, Peach, the first step has been taken.

On the first day of the Christmas holidays, Ben and Louise set out
for a ride and discover first-hand the devastating results of shooting horses
from the air. A dead mare lies covered in flies attracted by the blood of a
shoulder wound. Nearby is a foal attacked by ticks and thus too weak to stand.
With great effort the friends drape the small filly over Louise's mount, Jake, and
then Louise rides ahead on Snip to leave a note for Harry the hermit to come to
the farm and give them his expert advice. The incident also needs to be
reported to the ranger and hopefully will influence a stop to the aerial
culling. Ben's worry that his Dad's health will mean selling the farm and
living in town has been pushed aside for the moment. Ben's problems often
consume him and Louise bears the brunt of his testy nature. But she understands
what pressure he is under, and her readiness to overlook his unkind moments
when her own future is uncertain invites the empathy of the reader.

Once again the author's love and experience of horses and
knowledge of the Australian bush landscape provides an authentic touch to wrap
up her absorbing series. Children who may not have read the previous books will
have no difficulty in enjoying Brumbies in the Mountains. The characters
of Ben and Louise are fully rounded and the reader engages easily with both.

My impression is that the author's ability to maintain tension and
interest which has always been effective, has increased in this concluding
book. Solutions to both Louise's and Ben's problems are credibly and smoothly
executed. Ben's plight weighs on the reader's heart right to the last chapter,
and the final outcome will please and satisfy.

Rowena Evan's black and white illustrations are simple but very
effective and I was thrilled to learn what a black sallee was from the helpful glossary.
I had often wondered on the drive from the coast to Canberra what a street
name, Black Sallee, meant. For those interested, it is a type of eucalyptus
tree.

The Brumbies series will stay a long time in the memories of its
readers and will provide a valuable source of information for young horse
lovers to refer to in the future.

Thursday, 26 February 2015

Emily’s Tiara Trouble: The
Anti-Princess Club by Samantha Turnbull, illustrated by Sarah Davies (Allen and
Unwin)

PB RRP $9.99

ISBN

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

This is not a typical book from Allen
and Unwin as it is pitched more for the mass market and not likely to win
literary awards. As its series title The Anti-Princess Club explains,
Turnbull’s stories are pitched at girls aged 7 to 9 years in an attempt to help
create a new generation of feminists -- a worthy endeavour!

Each of the stories is narrated by
ten-year-old Emily Martin who writes about the ordinary adventures of herself
and her three friends, Bella, Grace and Chloe. Unlike the sort of
girls their parents seem bent on raising, these girls are not interested in
being ‘princesses’ but are more interested in geology, mathematics, science and
athletics. Each of them has current and future life ambitions. Emily, for
instance, wants to enter the district athletics’ carnival but her beautician
mother instead forces her instead to do ballet.

The girls take their problems to the
only adult prepared to listen – Chloe’s grand-mother. When they need to raise
money for their endeavours, Yiayia suggested they make and sell baklava – which
they do. They also form the Anti-Princess Club and (with some family help)
build a (pink) tree house headquarters. Thanks to Yiayia’s intervention,
Chloe’s problem (of not wanting to work in the family restaurant but to be an
accomplished scientist) is solved. Grace’s athletic success turns her parents
around. Then Emily’s mother enters her (and her younger sister) in a beauty
pageant. At the last minute Emily rebels, wiping off all the make-up Mum has
caked on her face; on stage she also makes a feminist speech against
fairytales. Remarkably she incites the audience to chant ‘no more princesses!”

Oh that a child’s problems could be so
easily solved! The motives behind this story are admirable, but the plot and
the characters seem contrived to suit the author’s intentions. The writing is
easy to read and the book is likely to be enjoyed by the average girl reader.

Wednesday, 25 February 2015

Book Island which published
this wordless picture book is a New Zealand-based publishing house with a bold
dream of enriching children's and adults' lives in the English- and
Dutch-language market. It does this by bringing unique stories from Europe to
New Zealand, and then designs (and sometimes translates) and prints beautiful
high-quality books. Buzz Words has previously reviewed three books
from Book Island and found all of these books to be of a high standard.

The front fly pages shows a small black
dog watched by a cat as it discovers a red umbrella on a windy, autumn day.
When the dog opens up the umbrella on the title page, he is pulled along and
then (turning the page) he is whirled up into the leaf-filled air, a farm house
(and the cat) far below.

The rest of the story shows the dog high above clouds,
flying above the savannah (and watched by African animals), into a desert,
across a turbulent sea (the umbrella as his
boat) and into a jungle. Along the way he encounters danger – a half-circle of
alligators, sea creatures (including a mammoth whale) and a village of natives
who hurl spears at him. Luckily, the dog is rescued by a pelican which deposits
him in a polar region. The journey continues as the dog passes seals, polar
bears and a sky full of bats.

Eventually the dog and his umbrella are
returned to whence they came. There the cat is still waiting; in the final fly
page the dog is shuffling off, leaving the umbrella for the cat to find (and
perhaps to have its own adventure).

As with all good picture books for
young ‘readers’, there is plenty to see and talk about in this book, especially
if a parent or other carer is sharing the book. At the end, the question might
be ‘where will the cat and umbrella go next?’ The illustrations are colourful
and accomplished with lots of energy and details for poring over. Many of the views are taken from above the land, looking down at the landscape (rivers, jungle,
ocean and so forth). A wordless book like this allows much scope for a child to
invent story and to use his imagination to extend the visual text. This book would
likely appeal to children aged one to three years of age.

Tuesday, 24 February 2015

This stunning book with its clever use of serene
shades of blue, tells the story of change and adjustment from a child’s view.
It also reflects on the importance of community activity, and how colour and
creating gardens can have a marked influence on people’s lives.

Adam has moved from a suburban home to a high rise
apartment in the city. The stories his parents tell him each night are what
connect him to his old life. He draws and hangs pictures on the walls of the
animals that were part of that life.

Grey buildings and grey cement playgrounds are what
he sees from his window. The children at play are the only colour to be seen.

Shy and new, he creates animal images on the frosted
glass above the inner staircases and sees snow for the first time. The grey
becomes white.

The apartment children build a snowman and Adam
finds the courage to join them. He builds a snow elephant. The children join
in. They unite to create a zoo of snow animals and new friendships are formed.

Adam’s first day at school is the birth of a grand
beginning. Seeds are sown - not only of friendship, but of the living kind.
Gardens and green growth areas begin to expand across the grey, and colour
fills the surroundings in a previously overcast world.

Strong messages for children and adults are found in
this layered story of change and adjustment, creation and friendship, and how
‘from little things, big things grow.’ Superbly illustrated by the author for
the 5+ age group, the emotive artwork tells a story of its own. This book is a
journey of discovery. With themes hidden everywhere, it’s a wonderful book to
be shared by child and older person.

Monday, 23 February 2015

The boy knows that he’s not perfect without being
told. All the people in his world have imperfections. His friend Jack, the dog
that sleeps on his bed and his loud little sister all have imperfections. So
has his mum who has made him sit on the naughty step.

But the perfectness of their imperfection is what
makes life interesting, exciting, challenging and fun. That ‘messy, loud,
stubborn and show-off’ is imperfection, well – nobody is perfect!

This delightful book is a celebration of life and
its imperfections. Filled with colour, movement and a strong message about
being individual and free especially during childhood, this is ideal for the 3+
age group. It can be shared between adult and child or any other combination of
readers.

It has an eye-catching cover which reflects the
contents of the book perfectly. The illustrations are childlike, expressive,
and joyous, with watercolour and pencil art that children can immediately
relate to. The double-page spreads are priceless, for they portray most children’s
rooms, before and after a clean-up.

Sunday, 22 February 2015

Following I
Love You 5 Lollipops, Elizabeth Rose and her extraordinary and talented
family are back again with more circus entertainment on parade. The delicate
watercolour illustrations, superb cover and end pages by Kathryn Zammit, add to
the elegance that is this ensemble’s trademark. There are also additional
exciting and daring performers introduced to readers.

In clever rhyming verse we are introduced to the
talents of the clown, dog, showgirl, strongman, stilt walker, and the
hoop-throwing Gypsy. But none of those, or the elephants, cannon man, lion,
high walker, fire blower or the acrobats can ‘excite or amaze like Elizabeth
Rose.’ She is the star that shines around and above all the other circus
performers, regardless of their abilities.

This delicious publication is as soft as fairy
floss, as gentle as love, and as refreshing as a cool icy-pole on a hot day.
Delightfully presented, it promises to be the main feature on any young girl’s
book case due to its attractive and sparkling characters. It is an ideal book
to be shared and examined together with an adult at bedtime, for the 6 months
to 6 year age group.

Saturday, 21 February 2015

Tortoise and the
Hair by P.
Crumble, illustrated by Louis Shea (Scholastic Press)

PB
RRP $14.99

ISBN
978-1-74362-528-6

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Tortoise
is ready for his big day. He is going to play guitar on the big stage, in front
of everyone. He is very excited about it until he discovers that his favourite
wig is missing. Will he be able to perform without it?

This
picture book is the story of the journey made by Tortoise's hair, a twist on
the classic Hare and Tortoise tale which children know so well. The wig makes
its way from bear, to zebra, to monkey and several other animals before being
spotted by Hare, who then tries to get it to his friend Tortoise in time for
the performance.

'He ran from the cafe clutching the hair,

“Tortoise will need it, I’ll get it there.''’

Is
Hare fast enough to save the day? And does Tortoise really need saving in the
end?

Shea's
illustrations are fabulous, vibrant and luminescent with glowing colours which
seem to leap off the page. I love the detail and character he draws into
animals - the hippo with her mudpack, Bird at sunrise in her hair roller and
Tortoise's sparkly leg-warmers.

I
found the rhythm a little awkward and not easy to read aloud, but after a few
reads this smooths out. Children will engage in the progression the wig makes
from animal to animal and the ending, both in the text and illustrations, is
great.

Tortoise and the Hair is a fun and playful book. Young children
will enjoy the story and older ones will delight in discovering all the detail
of the pictures.

Friday, 20 February 2015

Polly has found
herself in the middle of a storm. Coming
to her aid is a prince called Peace. He
stays with her, keeping her calm and safe until the storm passes. Polly learns the importance of finding peace
within herself – that it will not only help her through chaotic, scary times
but allow her to help others.

Peace is the third book in TheInvisible Tree series written by pastor
Kirrily Lowe. Each themed book aims to
encourage personal attributes in young children; this edition focusing, as the
title suggests, on finding inner peace when faced with difficult and stormy
situations.

The story is told
in rhyme and is easy to read, making it a great read-aloud book for
pre-schoolers or early primary children.
The concept of the series has been based on a biblical scripture however
the overall tone of the book is not particularly religious. Although there is one reference to God, the
book is written in such a way as to make it accessible to all children. The personal attribute of Peace is
personified and appears as a young prince, coming in to save Polly from panic.

As with the
previous books, Henry Smith has created the illustrations for Peace and they are lovely. Throughout the book, he has combined
hand-drawn pictures with collages of newspaper, writing or wrapping paper –
creating a visual texture on every page.
The collage theme also extends to the presentation of the text with
seemingly random words being presented as if cut from a newspaper or magazine.

Kirrily Lowe is a
mum to three boys and a pastor together with her husband Tim at the C3 Church
City Campus in Darlinghurst, Sydney. She is passionate about filling young
lives with great values in a fun way. The Invisible Tree is her first series
of books. Subsequent books planned are: Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness
and Self-Control. She can be found online at: http://theinvisibletree.com.au/

Henry Smith is a
graphic designer and film maker from the production company Taste Media. His work ranges from handcrafted claymation
films to drawings and designs. All of the illustrations in The Invisible Tree series were created from recycled &
hand-made papers.

Thursday, 19 February 2015

Late at night on a
rusty tin roof, just near an old mango tree, the possums compete in games of
skill. Riley has always wanted to join
in, but he is not a fast runner, a high jumper or a strong thrower. Until one particular noisy Possum Games
night, Riley discovers he has some amazing skills after all.

Possum Games is a lovely book about finding your talents and a gaining sense
of self. It is told from the perspective
of Riley who just cannot keep up or compete with his other possum friends. He is slow and clumsy and often left out by
the other possums. It’s only when the
humans start throwing green mangoes at the noisy group of possums that Riley
learns that he can do something well; he can dodge. Not only is he good at it, he’s better than
anyone else!

This book
demonstrates a situation that most children (and adults) can relate to: feeling
inferior to those around you. Despite
his best efforts, Riley just isn’t as good as his friends. It lowers his self-esteem and causes him to
remove himself from the games being played.
When, by chance, he discovers he does have a talent, he not only finds
the respect and admiration of the other possums but, more importantly, of
himself.

Sandra Temple’s
illustrations are fun and lively. The
possums have lots of personality and present as a great blend of cartoon and
realism. With possums throwing, jumping
and skidding down rooves, there’s plenty of action from page to page.

Michelle
Worthington was born in Brisbane and currently works and lives in the
Redlands. Winner of the 1988 Little
Swaggie Award and other Australian poetry competitions, she has been published
in numbers local and international poetry anthologies. She has written several books for children
including The Pink Pirate, Each The Same
and Yellow Dress Day. She can be found online at http://www.michelleworthington.com/.

Sandra Temple has
been a professional artist, illustrator and author for more than thirty
years. The winner of many prestigious
awards, she has paintings in private, corporate and government collections
nationally and internationally. She can
be found online at http://www.sandratemple.com/.

Wednesday, 18 February 2015

My Gallipoli by
Ruth Starke and Robert Hannaford (Working Title Press)

HB RRP $29.99

ISBN9781921504761

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

This is a timely picture book for older readers with the
centenary of the Anzac landing at Gallipoli Peninsula this April. The first
page after the title page shows a map to indicate where Anzac Cove is located,
with a magnified section that takes in places such as No Man’s Land, Lone Pine
and Wire Gully. The narrative comes from the viewpoints of men (and women)
involved in the battle.

To start the story, shepherd, Adil Sakin, whose village is
north-east of Anzac Cove, speaks from Anzac Cove in November 1914 where he says
army men came to his village speaking about the Great War. Adil announces his
intention of fighting for the peninsular which has belonged to his family for
hundreds of years. Then the story moves to 25 April 1915 where Midshipman Peter
Burch RN is waiting in a boat to be landed on Anzac Cove. Burch tells how
shooting started even before soldiers reached shore and how many died.

As the story progresses, other characters embroiled in the
battle speak of their personal involvement. There’s a private from the Turkish
army, a nursing sister on a hospital ship, a Ghurkha from Nepal (fighting in
the British Army), an Australia chaplain, a New Zealand Private, and so on. One
of the best-known narrators is Australia’s official war correspondent, C.E.W.
Bean. Everyone who speaks, tells of the war from his or her perspective. The narrators
speak from places such as Suvla Bay, Cape Helles and No Man’s Land. Each entry
is prefaced by the place and the date. Towards the end of the battle we see a
crippled soldier in Melbourne, a lieutenant charged with identifying and
reburying remains of Allied soldiers, several cemetery scenes and Australia’s
war artist, George Lambert, at work in Anzac Cove. There is no sense of
victory, as there never ought to be with any war.

Without doubt a great deal of commendable research has gone
into covering all of the various aspects of the battle which is unveiled with
each narrator. There are also three end pages of notes with commentaries and
illustrations of those real-life characters that appear in the story, and of
geographical landmarks, etc. In addition, there is a bibliography, which
includes another Working Title Press title by author Ruth Starke (An Anzac Tale, 2013).

The illustrations use charcoal sketches and watercolour
depicting those aspects which are highlighted in the narrative, such as a nurse
tending a soldier by lamp-light, men digging graves, soldiers exhausted in the
trenches, men on furlong. It’s a real-life, comprehensive view of those hard, bloody
days.

What I most like about this book is its interesting and
well-written multi-narrative viewpoints; this is not just about Australia’s
role in the battle, but an overall view. What I didn’t particularly like in
this otherwise handsome production was the smallish typeface. For sure there is
a lot of text employed, but for some readers aged 9 to 12 years, the font size might
be too small.

Tuesday, 17 February 2015

Half a Creature
From the Sea: A Life in Storiesby
David Almond, illustrated by Eleanor Taylor (Walker Books)

HC RRP $19.95

ISBN 9781406354348

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

In this magnificent collection, part
autobiographical and partly created from life experiences, David Almond is at
his stunning best. He plaits his life and background into stories inspired by
what he believes in, regrets doing, and people and places that indelibly
stamped themselves into his psyche during his strict Catholic childhood. In
pure poetic prose, he draws the reader into fantasy and ghostly areas with a
flair that only a polished and gifted writer can do.

The eight stories are pieces of things he knows
intimately. ‘My mother says that all things can be turned into tales.’ He is a
true example of writing what you know and turning it into perfect prose.

The emotive themes are thought-provoking and
brilliant in their presentation. They are hope, faith and its challenges, the
disturbing brutality of bullying, how easily young people succumb to
peer-pressure and do bad things against their nature, being different, and
standing up for what you believe. All these bring together a string of
unforgettable reads.

Although ideal for readers of all ages, this
exceptional acquisition for any bookcase is directed at the 11+ years’ age
group.

Monday, 16 February 2015

Thelma the pony and her friend Otis the donkey live
contentedly in a field. Well, Otis is content. Thelma wants to be different...
She would very much like to be a unicorn. But, becoming a unicorn
and being famous do not turn out exactly as Thelma has imagined. Maybe she
would be happier as her old self again?

The rhythm and rhyme is pleasant - without lines which
sound forced - and rolls off the tongue easily. The text is clear and
straight-forward with pure even rhyme, perfectly suited for the pre-schoolers
who will enjoy this book.

'And that was when she saw it.

A carrot on the ground.

It gave her such a great idea,

She squealed and jumped around.'

The illustrations are delightful and full of
colour. In one, Thelma flicks through a magazine in a sun-lounger on
the deck of a yacht called 'The Fairy Princess'. In
another, she’s hounded by paparazzi and fans.

This fun story about finding out what really matters
in life will appeal to young girls – especially with its unicorn, its pink and
glitter, and its fantasy of fame.

Aaron Blabey wrote one of my favourite picture books
of last year, Pig the Pug, and Thelma the Unicorn carries
a smilar humour and likeable characters.

Sunday, 15 February 2015

In Canada, Phil
Roland is a hero. He saved his dad’s company, Motive Games; solved his dad’s
murder; and exposed a Mafia ring. However,
he soon finds things spinning out of control while attending the E3 East gaming
show in Auckland. It was supposed to be
the big break for Motive Games. Instead
he is the focus of unwanted media attention, hackers and threats of ruination
from Australian mega-distributor PFG.
It’s when a PFG executive turns up dead that Phil finds himself in the
middle of a mystery that may mean the end of Motive Games and all his dreams

Motive Games 2: Death Down Under is the stand-alone sequel to Motive Games from Canadian author LD
Taylor. Having not read the first book,
I was concerned that I would feel at a disadvantage. This was certainly not the case. There are enough references to the events of
the first book to ensure that the reader feels like they are reading a
self-contained story.

This is an
action-packed, murder-mystery set within the world of computer gaming. There is a good pace maintained throughout
without too much violence. There is only
the barest hint of romance; certainly a book geared towards teenaged boys
rather than girls. There are also plenty
of references to servers, hackers and online games for those technology or
gaming inclined readers.

The lead
character, Phil, can probably best be described as a whiz-kid. He is also a teen that, by virtue of his
experiences in the first book, has had to grow up fast. He is loyal, intelligent and
resourceful. He is aided by his best
friend Oliver and a quirky, ex-detective called Turpin. Together they are a determined team that will
not rest until the truth is uncovered.
They are not modern James Bond figures though – indestructible and
all-conquering. They are afflicted by
their own fears, physical ailments and emotional baggage; and they work to
overcome these as they endeavour to protect their friends and the future of
Motive Games.

Above all, I
enjoyed the minor characters. There is a
wide range of personalities and eccentricities that not only provide variety to the story but also help to bring out the humour,
emotion and tension throughout the book.

Overall, I found
this easy to read and very enjoyable. It
reminded me somewhat of the Conspiracy 365 books, but for an older reader, and
would suit any teen who enjoys that style of storytelling.

LD Taylor began
her career as a marketing writer for the 3D graphics and animation software
industry. Before her family’s
immigration to New Zealand, she decided to spearhead a family project that
would combine her teenage sons’ interests in video games with her own in
mystery novels. The result was Motive Games which won her the Caleb
Prize in the Young Adult category. Motive
Games 2: Death Down Under is her second book. She can be found online at: http://www.motivegamesbook.com/#/

Saturday, 14 February 2015

Magpie and Brown Falcon are friends. Brown
Falcon loves Magpie's singing, but secretly Magpie is jealous of Brown Falcon's
flying abilities. This jealousy makes Magpie so cross that he decides to play
mean tricks on his friend. Brown Falcon puts up with these tricks for a while
until Magpie goes too far. How will
Magpie feel when he loses his friend?

This is a simple story about jealousy and
friendship, told with lovely Australian flavour. The illustrator, Tania
Erzinger, has depicted the animals and bush of this country beautifully. The
painted pages capture the browns, greens and blues of the Australian bush
wonderfully.

The word count in this book makes it more
suitable for primary aged children than pre-schoolers. The concepts also, of
envy, teasing and loyalty, are well suited to those beginning to navigate the
school playground.

Friday, 13 February 2015

My favourite girl character Violet Mackerel is back
again. I adore the delightful interpretation of Anna Branford’s work by Sarah
Davis. She is so familiar with every aspect of each character’s personality
that there’s not an emotion that she can’t portray perfectly. I know these
character’s intimately, the illustrations boast.

Best friends Violet and Rose are at the park
twig-digging. Rose finds something and brushes the dirt away like
archaeologists do. It’s a locket. Nicola, Violet’s sister, experienced at
jewellery making, gives her expert opinion on how to clean it. The girls decide
to share the locket, but are preoccupied with the original owner and their
loss.

Rose’s grandparents are visiting from overseas and
plan to take the girls out for morning tea somewhere special. It is a formal
occasion so they must dress up in their best clothes and comb their hair in a
special braid to look elegant.

Violet still worries about the owner of the locket
and their feelings of loss. Rose’s grandparents relate a story about a ring
they lost years ago while young. They all discuss theories on things lost and found.
They imagine who could have found the ring. Perhaps it had been someone who
couldn’t afford one and needed it for their loved one? Possibilities are
suggested. The girls decide to prepare a letter and bury it where the locket
was found in case someone returns to search for it.

When mum’s basket of knitted things gets lost after
she rests it on a seat for a moment, the theory of losing small things comes
into play again. Violet and Rose find lots of ways to cheer mum up with their
thoughtful and creative gifts, stories and theories on who may have found the
knitted things, and what they could have been used for. They prepare a
delightful formal occasion for mum as well, which proves to be the icing on the
cake.

This perfectly crafted story has thought-provoking
themes. Apart from the priceless value of family and friends, it has amazing
alternate and almost profound ways of looking at things that get lost by
reversing them to think about the finders of lost things. Ideal for the 5+ age
group but also enjoyed by many adult fans as well.

I love the way new and unusual words are highlighted
in bold and varying text to accentuate their individuality and newness. This
encourages young readers to use their dictionaries or question the meaning of
the words.

Thursday, 12 February 2015

Flossy
the Possum is trying to get home as fast as she can. But other bush creatures
keep surprising her along the way. Undeterred, Flossy keeps going until she
reaches home, where the biggest surprise of all is waiting for her.

Possum's
Big Surprise is uplifting and fun. The text is constructed to create a
wonderful build up to the big surprise at the end and has a rollicking rhythm
which just begs to be read aloud.

'Off in a flash and a tumble of grey,

Flossy the Possum was up and away!

She dashed past the wattle, golden and green,

Flossy the Possum ran nimble and keen.'

The
illustrations have a sense of movement which echoes the rhyme; the pictures and
words working beautifully together to bring the story to the reader. The artist
has created lovely Aussie animal characters and an observant reader will notice
clues along the way to the end surprise.

Young
children will take great delight in the 'eye spy' element of this book. The
repetitive nature of the story, along with the rhythm and illustrations will
keep them coming back again and again.

Wednesday, 11 February 2015

If there is one thing Jack hates more than
showers, it’s the jobs Mum gives him on Saturday mornings. They always need to
be finished before he is allowed to go hang out with his mate Thommo. Jack
knows how to get out of chores. It’s just that somehow all his efforts seem to
be backfiring.

And then Dad gives him the worst job of all.
Surely his plan cannot fail here.

Australian indigenous culture is quietly but
firmly present in this story. Yet the
book transcends race. This is a story
every young boy, or girl, will easily relate to. Who wants to be sweeping the
patio or washing the dog when their mate is waiting on a sunny Saturday
morning?

One Rule for Jack is a gentle, funny, tale. There is a lovely family atmosphere - with
Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Joe living next door. And the lesson Jack learns
comes across naturally without being preachy or moralising.

Jack is an engaging narrator, giving tips to
the reader throughout. 'Okay - here's a
pro tip. Inside jobs are the hardest. One parent is usually hanging around. If
you're not careful they can catch you out.'

The cheeky sense of fun is carried in the
illustrations as well. The look on Jack's face as he manoeuvres a plunger into
the toilet is priceless. And the way his mother and grandmother gather around
to help him solve his problems reinforces the closeness of the family.

Smith's soft black and white pictures
illustrate each page of the book and help to create an easy and enjoyable story
for beginner readers. The short chapters, large font and straight-forward words
and sentences make this an accessible story for young primary aged children,
while the humour and storyline speaks to every child.

Tuesday, 10 February 2015

This is the second picture book
in the My Family series wherein a
conventional family has a series of adventures. Last time it was camping, this
time it is taking to sea in a boat for a fishing expedition. Dad is now the
family motivator with four family members – Mum, Morgan, Condon and Nikky –
reluctant to take up her latest idea of family ‘fun,’ all offering excuses.
Twin brother Morgan seems to have the most valid excuse – seasickness. But Dad
prevails and soon the family is trapped in a small red speedboat boat (all
wearing life-vests) with things going overboard (like Morgan’s breakfast!)
There’s even Nikky’s dog onboard – for a while.

As with the first book, most of
the family members experience some kind of small disaster. Dad continues with
his tally-ho attitude and soon things (not necessarily fish) are being caught.

The typeface of this paperback is
large and easy to read but from time to time words are printed in bold. Not sure why as this doesn’t
serve the book in any way. The illustrations are brightly coloured and there’s
a nice sense of movement in a double-paged spread of the boat at sea surrounded
by seagulls. This book would be of most interest to a new reader.

Monday, 9 February 2015

The back cover blurb of this picture book for children six to eight years describes a family’s adventures while camping as an ‘entertaining romp.’ However, for most of the large family there is no entertainment and certainly no romping. It’s Mum who is most enthusiastic as well as the book’s unnamed narrator. As with most families, there are compromises so with a bit of bribery, Mum manages to persuade Dad and her three other children to join in.

Disaster occurs when Dad and the kids forget their essentials. More disasters happen with camping equipment but Mum jollies everyone along. However, soon insects cause problems so of course there aren’t many happy campers. As they are all packing up tents and airbeds, etc. something happens which makes the adventure all worthwhile.

This is a simple story with watercolour illustrations which will especially appeal to children whose families take camping holidays.

Sunday, 8 February 2015

Author and illustrator Chris Van Dusen’s brilliant
new book is created with rhyming verse and full page illustrations using
caricatures. This is a fantastic tale inspired by a real happening in 1836,
with the Royal Tar, a steamer sailing
to Maine with 103 passengers and a complete circus.

Animals like people, never forget kindness or
brutality. This strong theme flows throughout this beautifully created and
designed book.

The Circus Ship steams through the fog towards its
destination. Although the Captain suggests they drop anchor and wait for
visibility to clear, the grumpy circus boss demands they keep going. The ship
unfortunately smashes against something unseen. The terrified animals end up
with some swimming for their lives, and others clinging to bits of debris as
the ship sinks.

Cold and frightened, the animals come ashore at a
village. They hope it’s a haven of safety. But at the sight of animals coming
and going, the villagers are filled with terror.

It is in the evening that things shift. A shed
catches fire. A child is trapped inside.

The circus tiger that had ‘jumped through flames a
thousand times’ did what he had been trained to do, and the child is saved.
‘The tiger’s risky rescue changed everybody’s mind.’ When the crabby circus
owner appears and wants the animals to put them back to work, they are nowhere
to be found.

This stunning book is a work of art in every way.
Everything is alive on the page. The striking colour of the illustrations in
gouache, both characters and settings, create a feast for the eyes. They must
be looked at in silence. The rhyming text must be read aloud for maximum
pleasure for it is music to the ears.

Saturday, 7 February 2015

Here’s another brilliantly funny story about Shaun
the Sheep, leader of the flock at Mossy Bottom Farm released simultaneously
with Shear Madness.

One of Shaun’s brilliant ideas finds him in the
Animal Containment Centre. It is the area where Trumper, the city’s animal
warden locks away all the strays. It houses tough, crazy and creepy animals.
There are also the quiet and lonely creatures who long for a home. No captive
has ever escaped. Their only exit from this environment is through adoption.

But how did Shaun end up there?

It was on the day that Shaun had convinced the flock
to take a day off. After putting the farmer to sleep with his clever
manoeuvring, Shaun and the sheep started partying. Messy and dangerous methods
were used as entertainment and for food preparation.

When Bitzer is taken to his master’s caravan by
Shaun, he tries to wake him. A series of unfortunate events occur. The caravan
rolls downhill and crashes to a stop against a pole. This causes a lamp to drop
on his head and, dizzy from the incident, the farmer is taken to hospital in an
ambulance.

This is similar to what happened in Shear Madness, but has a different
beginning and an alternate ending.

Bitzer goes to find his master. Dogs aren’t allowed
in hospitals, so he hides in a laundry trolley, and is mistaken for a doctor
until he sees a skeleton and goes for its bones. This leads to his capture by
Trumper.

Back at Mossy Bottom Farm the sheep are hungry. They
travel incognito to the city to find the farmer. They too, experience a great
adventure which includes restaurants, posh menus, burping and a great escape.
But Shaun is trapped by the sleeve of his jumper which unravels and he is
literally exposed for the sheep he is. Trumper adds another stray to his
collection.

How will Shaun and Bitzer escape from Trumper’s
clutches? Are the sheep capable of any plan without their leader? The alternate
end blends the two stories of the memory-deprived farmer with the hard-hearted
Trumper to form an exciting and entertaining read.

The highly expressive illustrations speak as
fluently as the text. This series is for early readers and the sheep’s crazy
adventures always provide laughter and fun.